How many schools are in Dorset?

OfferDay lists 184 schools in Dorset, including 119 primary schools and 21 special and alternative provision schools.

Who inspects schools in Dorset?

Every school in Dorset is inspected by Ofsted. Newer reports grade several areas of a school separately on a report card, while older reports carry a single overall grade, so check the framework and the date on each page before you compare two schools.

Which are the best schools in Dorset?

OfferDay ranks an area's schools only where enough of them have published results to compare fairly, and Dorset does not have enough to rank. Compare its schools on their Ofsted reports and, where results are published, the figures shown against each school on this page.

How many towns are in the Dorset local authority?

OfferDay groups the Dorset schools across 26 towns, listed in the schools-by-town section on this page. Any school with no town recorded in the national register is listed separately, grouped by phase, so every school in the local authority is reachable.

Schools in the Dorset local authority

Dorset has 184 schools listed on OfferDay across 26 towns.

119 primary schools · 10 middle schools · 18 secondary schools · 1 all-through school · 1 sixth form or college · 21 special and alternative provision schools · 14 independent schools

About schools in Dorset

Most of the 184 schools listed in Dorset are primary schools. Its 18 secondary schools are where families compare options once a child finishes primary. Dorset keeps a three-tier system, so ten middle schools sit between the primary and secondary stages.

Every school on this page is inspected by Ofsted. Its newer reports judge a school across several areas rather than giving one overall grade, while older reports still carry the previous single grade, so read the framework and the date on each page before you set two schools side by side. Where results have been published you will also find key stage 2 scores for the primary schools and Attainment 8 for the secondary schools. An inspection or a results table captures a school at one past moment, so use this page to draw up a shortlist and then visit.

Key stage 2, 2024/25: 57%; of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, across the 94 schools with published results
Key stage 4, 2024/25: 43.7; average Attainment 8 score, across the 21 schools with published results

Top schools in Dorset

Ranked by the latest published results; primary and secondary schools are measured differently and never compared with each other.

Primary

1 Trent Young's CofE Primary School 95%
2 St Ives Primary & Nursery School 90%
3 Durweston Church of England Primary School 80%
4 Spetisbury CofE Primary School 77%
5 Lockyer's Middle School 76%
6 Beaminster St Mary's Academy 75%
7 Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney 73%
8 Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery 72%

Secondary

Schools by town

The count beside each town is the number of its schools under Dorset.

Schools not listed under a town

These schools have no town recorded in the national register.

Arbour House School
Other independent special school · Ages 6 to 18
Harbour School Dorset
Free schools special · Ages 10 to 19
Castle Court School
Other independent school · Ages 2 to 13

Common questions about schools in Dorset

How many schools are in Dorset?: OfferDay lists 184 schools in Dorset, including 119 primary schools and 21 special and alternative provision schools.
Who inspects schools in Dorset?: Every school in Dorset is inspected by Ofsted. Newer reports grade several areas of a school separately on a report card, while older reports carry a single overall grade, so check the framework and the date on each page before you compare two schools.
Which are the best schools in Dorset?: OfferDay ranks an area's schools only where enough of them have published results to compare fairly, and Dorset does not have enough to rank. Compare its schools on their Ofsted reports and, where results are published, the figures shown against each school on this page.
How many towns are in the Dorset local authority?: OfferDay groups the Dorset schools across 26 towns, listed in the schools-by-town section on this page. Any school with no town recorded in the national register is listed separately, grouped by phase, so every school in the local authority is reachable.

School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. Information on this page was last updated on 24 July 2026.